How to become a Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator or Tender

Official title: Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Also called: Corrugator Operator, Cup Room Technician, Folder Machine Operator, Gluer Operator, Paper Cutter Operator, Paper Machine Backtender, Paper Machine Operator, Stitching Machine Operator

Set up, operate, or tend paper goods machines that perform a variety of functions, such as converting, sawing, corrugating, banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, forming, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets into products.

Main tasks

• Examine completed work to detect defects and verify conformance to work orders, and adjust machinery as necessary to correct production problems.
• Observe operation of various machines to detect and correct machine malfunctions such as improper forming, glue flow, or pasteboard tension.
• Start machines and move controls to regulate tension on pressure rolls, to synchronize speed of machine components, and to adjust temperatures of glue or paraffin.
• Disassemble machines to maintain, repair, or replace broken or worn parts, using hand or power tools.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Envelope-Fold-Mach Adjuster.
• Apprenticeship: Machine Set-Up Oper, Paper.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $50,270 a year The middle half earn $44,920 to $60,180.
• About 96,100 people work in this job now, and about 92,600 are projected by 2035. (-3.6%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
• Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Etchers and Engravers
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
• Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator or Tender?

Ways in include: Envelope-Fold-Mach Adjuster.

How much does a Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator or Tender earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $50,270 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $44,920 to $60,180.

Is a Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator or Tender a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 4% by 2035, from about 96,100 to about 92,600 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator or Tender?

Usually not. Only 5% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Envelope-Fold-Mach Adjuster.

Will AI change the work of a Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator or Tender?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.